Why do you believe the sword was found July 1825? It is described in the Stamford Mercury 18 Aug 1826 as though recently found: "In addition to the handsome shield which was lately discovered in the bed of the Witham, a vast number of swords and other antique remains have come to light. A short stabbing sword, ... has an inscription upon the blade which will afford a subject for the ingenuity of the antiquary, ...N D K O K C H S D N C H T K O R Y D"... .
The shield referred to is the Iron Age Witham Shield; if the two were found in proximity (which is possible but by no means implied by the newspaper article) the find spot would have been close to the Fiskerton Causeway, suggesting ritual deposit. Is it known how Robert Swan (the Registrar) had come to be the owner?

Last week (3 August) we blogged about the medieval sword on display in the British Library’s Magna Carta: Law, Liberty, Legacy exhibition. We have been thrilled by the number of enthusiastic comments and suggestions we have received about this sword. Due to the phenomenal range of suggestions, i...